Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bernadette Peters, more celebrities pay tribute to Carol Channing

Stars of the stage and screen have paid tribute to legendary Broadway star Carol Channing after her death early Tuesday of natural causes at her home in Rancho Mirage, California.

The 97-year-old icon, who fronted memorable stage productions of Hello, Dolly! and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, received messages of remembrance from the likes of fellow theater staples like Lin-Manuel Miranda and Bernadette Peters, who tweeted in honor of Channing’s work.

“Goodbye, Carol,” Miranda tweeted alongside lyrics to “Before the Parade Passes By” from Hello, Dolly!, while Peters wrote that Channing — a three-time Tony Award-winner — “was show business and love personified.”

Bette Midler, who won a Tony Award in 2017 for playing Dolly Gallagher Levi in the lauded Broadway revival of Hello, Dolly! said Tuesday that Channing was “a complete original, and there will never be another … My condolences to the world; to those who knew her or saw her and those who never got the chance.”

Actress Sandra Bernhard, whom has long spoken publicly about her obsession with Channing’s career, tweeted that she is “so sad” to have “just lost my incredible original inspiration,” continuing that she first saw Channing take the stage in Hello, Dolly! when she was eight years old: “She changed my DNA,” Bernhard continued. “love you lady forever one of the greatest entertainers of all times.”

The currently touring company of Hello, Dolly! also released a statement Tuesday, saying they would dedicate that night’s performance to Channing. “We are deeply saddened by the passing of the one and only Carol Channing. She was a ‘Dolly’ for the ages, and a true icon of the American Theater,” the statement said. “Betty Buckley and the cast will dedicate tonight’s performance in San Diego to her memory.”

Read on for more celebrity reactions to Channing’s death.

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